On Even Stranger Tides
by Hammocker
Summary: After their ship is wreaked in a terrible storm on its way to the New World, Kurt and Dave are stranded on a deserted shoreline with only themselves and the wilderness for company. What will our boys do? Set in the 1700s. Kurtofsky.
1. Washed Ashore

**Pirates, The Tropics, Kurt and Dave. What more could you want? I'm new to this and would love any feedback!**

**...**

The first thing Kurt Hummel noticed as he slowly came to was the bitter mixture of sand and seawater swirling in his mouth and up his nose. With a pathetic cough and sputter, he expelled as much of the brine back onto the beach, where he found himself sprawled haphazardly. The movement brought a new realization to his mind: every muscle of his body ached, as if he had been tossed and handled like a rag doll. He groaned as another wave washed over his wet and ragged limbs.

After a few moments of rest and mental preparation, Kurt willed himself to move to dryer land and recollect his thoughts. He remembered being violently disturbed from his sleep by the terrifying bobbing and swaying of his cabin. The ship must have been caught in a powerful storm on its way to New Spain, and the severe blow to the head that Kurt received from a wayward piece of debris promptly excused him from experiencing the trip that resulted on the beach.

Gaining strength from these recollections, Kurt picked himself up to assess his surroundings. The beach stretched on for several hundred feet in both directions before his line of sight was interrupted by small peninsulas, forming a shallow bay. Palm trees and various other tropical plants that Kurt could not identify began roughly where the beach ended, bordered in some places by rocky fields of weeds. To his left, Kurt noticed a few remnants ofthe _HMS Osprey: _a tangled mess of rigging draped loosely over a large section of the hull.

Seeing the piece of the large ship that was suppose to bring him to his new home in Santo Domingo finally brought to Kurt the unfortunate realization that the shock of waking up stranded on a deserted beach had kept at bay: he was stranded on a deserted beach. Worse yet, his clothes were ruined. The fine linens that his posh life in london had afforded him were reduced to tattered pants and what remained of a dress shirt hanging loosely over his now red shoulders. In a panicked daze, Kurt fell to his knees and let the waves wash over his feet as he looked absently at the ground. He was going to die here, if not from thirst or starvation, from sheer loneliness and isolation. No one would find him. The new world was immensely vast, and inhabited by violent natives who cooked englishmen and shrunk their dismembered heads. Kurt had heard all the stores that his younger relatives told him about the new world, and had dismissed them at the time as foolish, but now, amid the unknown depths of land in front of him, those dreadful thoughts were all he could think.

Fortunately, his morose musings were interrupted when he noticed something quite out of place amid the tropical scenery. A meager line of smoke trailing up from behind one of the peninsulas. Kurt stared at this impossible sight for a few seconds before picking himself up and walking to it. After a few paces, he turned around, and thinking ahead, gathered some of the rigging that had washed ashore.

The walk over the rocky peninsula was difficult for Kurt, given that his body was still recovering from the beating it must have endured. Finally reaching the crest of the hill, Kurt took in the scene before him. The trail of smoke had been coming from a small fire near the edge of the forest. A figure was lying by the fire on what appeared to be a shabby bed of palm leaves and pieces of cloth.

He was not alone! Only finding a manned vessel at dock would have made the small man happier. Forgetting the pain in his muscles, Kurt began running toward the fire, impatient to meet whoever his companion was to be. He quickly broke his stride, however, upon discerning a troubling new detail. Stabbed into the sand near the figure rose a rather intimidating cutlass, worn and nicked from serious use.

Kurt was beginning to reconsider his luck when the figure rose from his prostrate position. Kurt froze as the stranger's eyes fell upon his own.

"Oy there," called the man, "You! HEY! Right here! Come here!" The man was standing now, waving his arms as if Kurt could not see where he was. "Where're you coming from? A settlement? ...oh." As his eyes fell upon Kurt's torn clothes, the stranger's excitement faded and he sat back down.

"Good Morning" said Kurt as he approached the small fire.

"Hardly" the stranger said gruffly, not looking away from the fire.

"I take it there are no others then. How did you make a fire?"

"S'easy if ya got the right stuff. Any idea where we are?"

"No. ...er, My name is Kurt. Hummel."

"Good to know."

This stranger didn't seem like a conversationalist. However, Kurt was less concerned about his name than the sword that he couldn't help but stare at.

"Why, er... where did you get that sword?" he asked, with a little more apprehension than he would have liked.

"S'mine. Got it a long time ago. A blacksmith's."

The stranger's tone was less than convincing. "Alright then, what is your name? I've told you mine. I feel you're obligated to tell me yours."

"David" the stranger muttered. He looked up at where kurt was standing.

David had enough to deal with right at the moment. He could tell that the fire was puttering out, and despite what he had told Kurt, it was not easy starting it. No, he had spent hours just getting a flame started. This wasn't the first time Dave had to fend for himself in the wilderness, but he was far from accustomed to this. He had thought that he was leaving his hard life as "privateer" behind for the promising streets of Santo Domingo, only to find himself left to die shipwrecked on a foreign shore.

As he really got a good look at this new acquaintance, however, Dave's worried were replaced by a nervous wrenching in his gut. Kurt, did he say his name was? Hating himself for it, Dave couldn't help but let his eyes linger a little two long at the tears in the young man's clothes. Hoping Kurt didn't notice, Dave turned his attention back to the fire.

"This damn thing is dying down. Can you help me gather some dry wood or are you going to just stand there, m'lady?" Dave didn't know why he was being mean. He got up, making an effort to avoid looking directly at the other young man.

"Okay, okay _David_. I'd be happy to help. No need to be cross." Kurt was a bit disappointed that his newfound companion wasn't as friendly as he had hoped, but his happiness from simply finding someone more than made up for any reservations. Plus, his concern about the sword was alleviated for the moment.

David wandered the edge of the forest looking for dry timber. His search would have been more successful if he hadn't been using so much of his time sneaking surreptitious looks at his fellow castaway. Dave hated himself more with every guilty glance. He tried in vain to shake out the sordid thoughts that ran through his head whenever Kurt turned town to pick up a piece of wood. He tried hard to remember what Friar Raphael had told him about this most terrible sin and the evils of his lustful thoughts. For Dave, though, it was as if this boy were maliciously doing it simply to remind Dave that no matter what he did, he would always be a sinner. Dave's brow crumpled in frustration from these thoughts, and he furiously returned to scanning the ground for more wood.

"David?" Kurt called from a distance.

David, without looking, called back. "What! Don't stop, we need more!"

"No, it's just that I've found a rather large dry piece lodged between these rocks. I'm going to need your help," Kurt shouted back.

Frustrated, Dave dropped his pitiful collection of twigs and ran over to where Kurt was standing. Sure enough, a large branch of what appeared to be Eucalyptus was partially exposed underneath a large flat bolder.

"I tried to move it but it wouldn't budge" said Kurt flatly.

"When I lift it, you pull out the branch." Dave readied himself and gripped the edges of the rock. Keeping his back relatively straight and pushing against the other rock with his feet, Dave was able to open a crevice loose enough for Kurt to tug the branch out.

"Good job, David! I'm impressed. I didn't anticipate that working."

"Thanks. Put it by the fire, would you?" Dave was relieved that his reddening face could be easily explained by the exertion of moving the rock. He sat and caught his breath for a moment before walking to the fire. It wasn't long before he caught up with Kurt, walking slowly with the weight of the considerable branch.

"Here, I'll carry that. You clearly can't carry anything heavier than a purse"

"I beg your pardon! I can ...ugh -carry it- ...huh... just fine." Kurt was beginning to lose his patience with David. His sour attitude was hampering Kurt's usually sunny disposition, which to his own surprise, was immensely revived at that fist sight of smoke.

Lost in this fleeting thought, Kurt caught his foot on a rather strong vine, teetering him off balance, and sending the branch to the ground. Moving instinctively, Dave pulled Kurt's shirt before he could fall, sending Kurt crashing into Dave, who then promptly lost balance and fell over, bringing a surprised Kurt with him. Kurt landed on Dave's chest, awkwardly eye to eye.

"Sorry I-"

"Thanks, I mean-"

"Didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, just that-"

"Sort of just..."

Kurt moved his leg in an attempt to get up, inadvertently brushing against Dave's inner thigh. Dave tensed, still clutching a strip of Kurt's shirt.

"Erm... Would you let go of my Shirt?"

"Oh... right. Sorry."

The two stood up, Kurt picked up the branch, and the two of them walked back to the fire in an uncomfortable silence.


	2. Going Bananas

**Thank you for your comments! They are all appreciated. Please keep them coming! Also, sorry in advance if there are any typos in this chapter. I didn't get a chance to proofread it. Enjoy! **

Dave's mind was almost able to slip into sleep when he was again jostled back to reality by the sound of dry wood being dropped near the makeshift shelter that was preventing some of the drizzle from dampening his clothes. "Kurt! God forbid you drop any of those logs without rousing me from sleep every time!" It was late afternoon and Dave had not been able to sleep at all.

"What? David, I'm sorry, but this rain is getting worse. Pretty soon there won't be any more dry wood for me to find. Do you want a fire or what?"

Over the past three days they had spent shipwrecked, relations between the two boys had deteriorated from generally amiable to strained. Cooperation was upheld by sheer necessity alone. While Kurt had been trying to amend the situation with small talk or conciliatory gestures, Dave seemed to be doing all he could to avoid any unnecessary interaction with the other boy. Kurt had all but given up.

Hearing a defeated groan emit from the shabby lean-to they had built on the second night, Kurt briskly walked back to the fallen tree that he had found earlier to collect more twigs. _Dave is better at this_, he thought. _And I don't get why we both can't just sleep at night. This whole 'taking shifts' plan makes sense on paper but just isn't practical. This would be so much easier with two people. I swear he just wants to avoid me. _

When he got back to camp, Kurt dropped the firewood into the pile protected by the shabby cloth tent they had fashioned out of some strips of burlap that had washed ashore. He could have set it down quietly, but Kurt wasn't feeling nearly that generous.

The resulting loud clattering sound prompted Dave to get up. "GODDAMIT! Can you not do anything right! I said DON'T make too much noise. Are you _trying_ to drive me insane?"

Kurt didn't even look at Dave. He just dusted off his hands and inspected the firewood. "Well maybe if you just slept at night like any other normal person you wouldn't have to worry about me waking you up," Kurt calmly replied.

Dave grabbed clumps of his hair in exasperation. "Yeah! Sounds like a bloody brilliant idea! And while we're sleeping like kittens in a fucking basket, natives can come slit our throats and wear our skin as clothes! Because unlike YOU, they can go for more that two seconds without making A BLOODY NOISE!"

Silence followed, save for the rhythmic washing of the shore, and the rustle of the leaves disturbed the increasingly large droplets of water falling from the sky.

After a moment, Kurt interrupted the stillness. "Why are you avoiding me?" He looked bluntly at Dave.

Caught completely off guard, the larger boy stared for a few seconds before he could compose a reply. "What? I'm avoiding you? Why would I avoid you?"

"I don't know. But you are. You hardly even attempt to talk to me, and with this idiotic system of dividing the labor you are conveniently asleep or off on some task whenever I'm here."

"You're looking into things too much. It's easier this way."

"Am I really that unlikeable David? Do you hate me that much?"

"Whatever gave you reason to think that I hate you?"

"Oh. Well let's see shall we?"

"Look. I'm sorry I don't want to discuss the finer points of Aristotle's philosophies or whatever. I'm a private person, and I just prefer that my life stay private."

"A _private person_? That's what this is? Well _David_, there's a difference between having a private life, and completely ignoring the only other person you could possibly have contact with."

"...Okay Kurt. Fine. Whatever"

"Whatever what?"

"I'll try to be more... _social_."

"Really?"

"..."

"Well can you start with sleeping at night?"

"Fine."

Kurt didn't expect to make such a breakthrough. He didn't even mean to start that conversation at all, but he didn't regret it. To be honest, Kurt didn't like being alone. Having someone ignore him, however, was even worse.

Dave, on the other hand, was dreading the night. He glanced at the shabby tent that they were going to have to share tonight. Despite the fact that he was nearly soaked with rainwater, he seriously considered sleeping outside. _No. Then he'll definitely think I hate him, _he thought. _I wish I did. _

Kurt looked at the austere rations they kept with the firewood. There were a few berries that they had saved for dinner and the last of the wild boar that David had killed two days ago. Kurt grimaced. The most desirable parts (one must consider a very loose definition of desirable) had already been eaten and Kurt was not looking forward to dinner (which, at this point, was sure to be berry and intestine stew). Noticing that the rain had let up a bit, Kurt took the opportunity to find some more appetizing choices. _I can maybe find a 'thank you and let's be friends' gift for Dave too, _thought Kurt.

Dave was quick to notice that Kurt was leaving. _Tells me to stop avoiding him so he can go off and leave. I'm not even going to pretend to understand. _Dave, however, had other worries on his mind. The diminishing rainfall gave him hope that perhaps he could sleep outside. Regardless, he planned on building another lean-to the next day. One night sleeping next to Kurt he may be able to handle, but he knew he couldn't make it a regular thing.

In about half an hour, the sun was out and Dave was sprawled on the warming white sand. He had hung up his clothes to dry on a few sticks that he stuck in the sand. He didn't intend to stay long; he didn't know how long Kurt would be gone, but the sand was so warm, and his weariness was overtaking him. He let his mind wander in this lazy stupor. _Of all the people that could have been stranded with me, Kurt had to be the one. That's just great. I certainty don't need this. And does he have to be so damn friendly? Ugh. I'm not attracted to him. I'm not. It's just... I appreciate his body. That's it. His shoulders, his legs... NO. I'm not attracted to him. _As the now powerfully warm sun dried his body, Dave drifted to sleep with thoughts of Kurt swirling in his mind.

Kurt himself was on his way back to camp. He was exceptionally pleased with himself. He was returning with what he and Dave was sure to enjoy: bananas. And it wasn't just the bananas themselves that made Kurt happy. It was what they meant. Kurt new that bananas weren't native to the new world. European settlers, however, grew them on plantations. Kurt hoped that because there were wild bananas here, the plantation couldn't be far. He was almost jogging back to camp to tell Dave the news.

When he approached the shabby lean-to, he called out with a big, expectant smile on his face, but got no reply. Puzzled, he scanned the beach for Dave, promptly found him, and dropped the bananas. _Dear God he's nude. _It's not as if Kurt hadn't been expecting (or possibly hoping ) that he would see a bit _more _of his companion, but the shock was still there. Kurt, however, brushed aside his embarrassment (and sordid thoughts), walked over to Dave, and tapped his shoulder.

"David? Sorry to wake you again, but I have a surprise."

David almost told Kurt to give him a few more minutes before remembering why he didn't want himself to fall asleep. Practically jumping at his pants, Dave nearly toppled Kurt.

"Dear lord, David. It's not a big deal. Modesty is something we can't really afford right now."

"Ernm... it's not- I just- Sunburned. I don't want to sunburn. Er... down there. It's uncomfortable." David hoped that Kurt would assume the red that was rushing to his face at the moment was also due to the sun. He hastily and awkwardly dressed himself while Kurt looked away, scratching the back of his head.

"You don't have to look away, I don't really care," Dave sputtered quickly.

"...You want me to watch you dress?" Kurt gave dave a confused look.

"Er, No! I meant that I don't _care_ if- I... nevermind. You said you had a surprise?"

Kurt's face brightened at the mention of the bananas, and before Dave knew what he was doing, he too was smiling back, rather idiotically. He quickly relaxed his face.

"Yes! Well I was looking for something to add to our uh.. _meal _tonight, and after a little hiking in the wood I found those." Kurt pointed at the bananas dispersed all over the ground by the lean-to.

"Are those bananas! Good God! I can't believe it!"

"I know right? I was surprised too. Think of it as a thank your for being more social."

"That's wonderful Kurt. Bananas!"

"That's not even the best part." Kurt looked excitedly at Dave, who was now gathering up the bananas and putting them in the rations tent. "Bananas aren't native to the New World. There might be a plantation nearby!"

"My God you're right Kurt! I didn't even think of that! Tomorrow we'll both go back to the plant and see if we can't find anything. Right now though, we better start making dinner. It's getting late."

With the bananas, dinner was mildly palatable that night. While the two boys were mostly quiet and spoke little during the rest of the night, Kurt noticed it was a more comfortable silence. Soon both boys were yawning. Distant rumblings from the sky informed Dave that he would not be sleeping outside tonight. Mentally preparing himself for the night ahead, Dave settled down in the lean two, keeping his back to the entrance and where Kurt would be. After a few moments, Kurt was sleeping soundly next to him. Dave could tell from the soft breath that played over the back of his neck and sent a jolt of sensation down his spine. Unnerving, but not uncomfortable, Dave couldn't decide if he wanted the sensation to stop. Part of him wanted to turn around and face his sleeping companion, but Dave quashed that desire before it got anywhere. Eventually, from sheer exhaustion, Dave finally fell asleep.


End file.
